I-Corps: ResolveAble: A Proposal to the National Science Foundation I-Corps Teams Program

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This project explores the viability of automated bargaining software to more efficiently and effectively resolve disputes between courts and (potentially anonymous) individuals accused or convicted of minor offenses. The U.S. legal system grants judges the authority to resolve minor infractions such as unpaid parking tickets and failure to appear for low-level misdemeanors. There is the potential for this judicial discretion process to be improved and increase its benefit through technological advances. The current system requires offenders to either hire lawyers or appear in court to resolve certain legal issues. Frequently lawyers can be costly and court appearances may involve risk of sanctions including potential incarceration. Often many offenders choose not to appear which potentially limits many aspects of their lives. Technology that has the potential to 1)Enable judges to reach binding arrangements without the need for court appearances of legal representation and that 2)offer defendants the ability to negotiate anonymously with the government, can facilitate dispute resolution by reducing costs and potentially mitigating negative impacts of traditional surrender. Currently, tens of millions of people in the U.S. have outstanding, minor problems with courts, such as bench warrants and unpaid fines (exact numbers are unknown, but most states have backlogs in at least the hundreds of thousands). These large backlogs impose costs on state and local governments by forgoing significant revenue and consuming limited enforcement resources. By facilitating mutually beneficial deals between courts and affected individuals, the technology may improve these private and social problems. Additionally, the technology may have many v alternative applications: The technology can be modified to automate legal tasks that currently require the direct involvement of multiple, highly-compensated attorneys, such as plea bargaining. The technology may also have uses in non-legal fields, such as automating college admissions and financial aid decisions. Lastly, by learning more about the offender decision making process, the project may provide court personnel, judges and policy makers with useful insights into how to improve court efficiency and offender compliance rates.